Claire’s is introducing a new piercing experience that incorporates enhanced safety standards and trendy styles that appeal to tweens and teenagers.
Rosemont, Ill.—Claire’s is once again revamping its piercing services, focusing on enhanced safety training and trendy designs meant to better serve its Gen Alpha customers.
Gen Alpha is currently the next-to-youngest generation, including those born between 2010 and 2024.
Claire’s said the ear piercing experience should be a “formative moment,” a milestone that “empowers girls.”
The updated services include new clinical standards and enhanced training for employees, as well as new Gen Alpha-targeted marketing to promote the experience.
Claire’s said the rollout will begin at its store in The Shops at Santa Anita in Arcadia, California, with the new layout debuting Saturday, and expand to the rest of its stores throughout the fall.
There will be “piercing flagships,” featuring the largest dedicated piercing spaces in the fleet, in select stores, including the following:
Tysons Corner in Tyson, Virginia; Town Center at Boca Raton in Boca Raton, Florida; Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois; Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, New York; and Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“For decades, families have trusted Claire’s with one of life’s most memorable milestones, and after listening to customers, we saw a clear opportunity to raise our standards even higher,” said Carey Brezler, Claire’s vice president of retail operations.
With the help of industry experts, Claire’s created a Piercing Excellence team to lead ongoing education initiatives and re-certifications across its stores.
The group of professional instructors will travel to Claire’s stores to train and support store teams in all 900 locations across the United States and Canada.
“We introduced enhanced clinical training, FDA-registered medical devices, and elevated safety protocols to ensure safe, precise, and confidence-inspiring piercings for every customer who sits in our chair,” Brezler said.
Claire’s piercing specialists undergo training that covers the consultation, sterile stud selection, earring placement mapping, aftercare education, and the customer experience.
They learn hand-pressurized piercing techniques to ensure a gentle and sterile piercing, said Claire’s.
Claire’s enhanced piercing experience includes a wider selection of piercing styles and earring choices.
“At the heart of the transformation is a completely rebuilt clinical training program centered on a simple belief: piercing is a responsibility, not just a service,” Claire’s said.
The retailer also is introducing an expanded stud assortment, including new single stud styles, on-trend designs, and a selection of lab-grown diamonds.
Claire’s first introduced lab-grown diamonds in 2023 as part of its “CLUXE” collection.
The retailer will continue to offer free piercings with the purchase of an ear piercing kit, with prices starting at $29.99.
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As for marketing, Claire’s is introducing a new signature shade called “Lilith,” a softer, pastel version of its iconic purple. Its new tagline will be “I Got Pierced at Claire’s.”
“The experience reflects the brand’s belief that moments matter. Shopping should be designed as a shared experience. Making memories [is] more important than things. And it’s always better when you experience this together,” said the retailer.
The retailer also is launching “All Glown Up,” a social series starring actress Txunamy Ortiz and TikTok star Caitlin Kim, who will weigh in on aspects of Claire’s rebrand.
Later in the summer, Claire’s will debut another social series that shares the real stories and reactions of Gen Alpha girls getting their ears pierced.
“This new era of piercing underscores the brand’s commitment to serve as an inspiring playground for modern girlhood and a safe place for self-expression, making memories, and being social at its core, ensuring every Claire’s visit delivers a transformational experience,” the retailer said.
The move marks one of its “most significant operational investments in the past several decades.”
The retailer, which filed for bankruptcy in August 2025, entered into a $140 million agreement with an affiliate of private equity firm Ames Watson to sell its business operations and intellectual property in North America for $140 million.
The deal, completed in September 2025, allowed Claire’s to preserve a significant number of stores.
